Writing A User Manual (part 1)Need to write a user manual, but don't know where to start?Our handy two-part guide takes you through the process, explaining theimportance of proper planning in the early stages and demonstrating howto build a consistent and usable stylesheet for document formatting.
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Depending on who you speak to, documentation is either the best part ofa software project...or the worst. Most developers wouldn't be caught dead writing a user manual - theymuch prefer spending their time building better, more efficientalgorithms. Their users, on the other hand, don't really care about thecode that powers a software application; they're more interested ingetting their work done quickly, with minimal errors. That's where support documentation, in the form of a user manual, comesin. Usually considered one of the least important deliverables, it isslowly coming of age, as software companies begin to realize the valueof high-quality documentation that answers most user questions andreduces after-sales support calls (and expense). Support documentation allows the user to use the delivered software withease and efficiency. Ideally, it comprises:
This article focuses on the user manual, explaining, from a technicalwriter's perspective, the process by which such a manual is developed,reviewed and delivered. I believe, though, that the process and planningtips are generic enough to apply to the other print documents, inaccordance with both their purpose and scope.
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Writing a Software Technical Reference Manual (part 1)
